Council OKs agreement to raise Jefferson Avenue Footbridge

At a special meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Springfield City Council approved an agreement to raise the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge during the landmark’s rehabilitation project.

Through the agreement, the city intends to accept $2 million from BNSF Railway Co. to cover most of the cost of increasing the clearance between the bridge and the railway by 3-4 feet.

Providing more clearance will make the bridge safer and easier to maintain, say BNSF officials. The bridge is currently about 2 feet below BNSF standards, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

In January, BNSF agreed to pay $40,000 on a feasibility study to raise the bridge.

At council’s March 10 meeting, Nicholas Edelman, a city engineer specializing in transportation, reported construction is expected to begin April 7, and the elevation change would extend the project by three months because of a need to order a different elevator – one that can go up 28 feet instead of 25.

The city will have an increased cost of $225,000 as a result of the change, as Councilmember Monica Horton noted at the March 10 meeting. That amount is covered in the contingency amount already budgeted for the project, according to Public Works Director Dan Smith.

Councilmember Derek Lee said city staff had done a great job on the project.

“Having read this, it seems like the benefit far outweighs the changing contingency fund that you’re using to pay for it,” he said. “It seems like we’ve got a real solid plan.”